Two companies looking to set up natural gas production facilities in Jacksonville sparred over the issue Tuesday shortly before one of the groups – Sempra Energy – appeared before JEA to take steps toward setting up a partnership for the project.

Sempra is working to finalize site selection and determine how large its plant would be, said Sue Bradham, regional vice president in charge of commercial development, speaking to a group interested in local logistics. The fuel produced would be used for trucking, railroads and maritime transportation as well as exported to the Caribbean.

The difference, Clean Energy Vice President Greg Roche said: “We’re not asking JEA to fund this. We’re doing this all on our own.”

JEA’s board was considering the issue of a joint development agreement Tuesday afternoon. Prior to that meeting, JEA Chief Financial Officer Melissa Dykes said, the board was only being asked to allow staff “to move forward with due diligence.”

“We’re not asking the board to make a decision about a partnership,” she said, adding that it would “be premature” to say what JEA’s involvement would be.

Sempra and Clean Energy have wrangled elsewhere, Roche said, including in Sempra’s home territory of California. Clean Energy was involved in setting up infrastructure that let trucks at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles switch from diesel to natural gas.

The big question – which neither company fully answered – is if the nascent alternative fuels sector in Jacksonville is robust enough to support two companies setting up shop here.

“There’s a finite number of companies in Jacksonville that will use LNG,” Roche said. “Whether operating ships, trains or exporting; we will both be competing head to head on those.”

Any market is finite, Bradham said – and from Jacksonville, both companies would reach out to serve customers elsewhere.

“There’s the potential for Jacksonville to serve other parts of Florida and the Caribbean,” she said. “There is quite a bit of demand.”